SSX Isn't Dead
by lestrangexoxo
Summary: Loosely based on the new SSX 2012 game. The details of getting everyone back for the new Team SSX, with dramas along the way - obviously. And remember, nothing is set in stone.
1. SSX Isn't Dead

Sitting in a small café on the outskirts of the Alps, Allegra sat by herself sipping hot chocolate. This used to be one of her favourite spots for a coffee, and it had been since the first time she ever came here. However, that had all changed. She was only here because she was meeting someone. And it was only here because he was so stubborn he refused to meet her elsewhere. But she missed him, and she couldn't cut out her best friend for something like this. Hell, he didn't even _know_ the reason she didn't want to come here anymore. She brushed her hair out of her face, more for something to do than the fact it was in her way.

As the guy she was waiting for strolled through the door, Allegra felt suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. She'd missed Viggo so much, and somehow a phone call every week didn't seem enough anymore. She so badly wanted to be back racing the circuits with him, her old riding partner, but she knew he wouldn't go in for that now. And besides, the circuits didn't even run anymore. She couldn't even bring herself to imagine what was now happening to old SSX circuits. They were probably falling into disrepair, and only being used by teenagers, breaking into the tracks for a good place to get drunk. She threw her emotions to the back of her mind, hoping they'd stay buried in the midst of other things.

'Yo, Allie!' Viggo grinned at her, flicking his mess of blond hair off his face as he sat down opposite her.

'Careful, you're starting to sound like Mac.' Allegra smirked, still a bit emotional and trying to cover it up. Viggo frowned at her, but she knew he was kidding.

'That's not cool,' He made a mental note. 'how is he anyway? Mac, I mean.'

Allegra shrugged. 'Fine. Same as usual – far as I know. I haven't spoken to him for a while.'

'Really?' Viggo asked a bit too eagerly. Even though he knew that whatever had (not) happened between Allegra and Mac was long dead and buried, and even though he himself had no romantic interest in her, there are some things you just can't bury in yourself. He cleared his throat and shook his head. 'It doesn't matter.'

Allegra smiled, but it was half dead. She still knew she had to tell Viggo about the one and only secret she'd been keeping from him. Not that it was very secret anymore. It had been mentioned on numerous occasions by DJ Atomika on Radio Big. Although, it was unlikely Viggo would have spent his time listening to Radio Big online in Sweden.

'I have to tell you something,' Allegra said quietly. Viggo could suddenly tell by the tone of her voice that this was the main reason that they were meeting. He remained silent. 'but before I do, you haven't, by any chance, been listening to Radio Big, have you?'

'A bit,' Viggo said. 'when I'm bored at night. Why?'

'Doesn't matter,' She replied. 'hang on… _you_, bored at night? I don't believe that!'

Viggo chuckled. 'Well, some habits die young, don't they?'

'I thought that was rock stars.'

'Same thing.'

'What brought that about?'

Viggo looked reminiscent for a moment. 'I met someone.' He said slowly, not releasing any more information. Allegra inwardly sighed. Looks like they both had something to tell.

'And?'

'And,' Viggo continued. 'she was amazing. She was a skier, really cute, funny, everything you could ever want. So, I traded going to parties for staying in and watching movies with her. It was actually perfect – couldn't have asked for anything more.'

'So, what happened?'

Viggo bit his lip, and for a minute Allegra thought he was actually going to cry. But he didn't, he seemed to snap back to reality before any sort of emotion could set itself on his face. 'She got hurt in an accident on the slopes. Brain damage.' He looked at the table before he continued. 'She doesn't remember a thing, can't even remember her own name. She can't look after herself, she's in a hospital twenty-four-seven, and will be forever, now.'

Allegra was speechless for a second. 'I'm sorry.' Was all she could bring herself to say. She couldn't even believe this, although she knew why he hadn't told her. Clearly it was hard to talk about, and it made her feel even more guilty for not telling him what she'd been hiding.

'I visit her sometimes,' He sighed, lifting his head to meet her gaze. 'and I see her parents now and then. But once I'd changed my lifestyle, I thought I ought to keep it up, if not only for her sake.'

'That's commendable,' Allegra told him. 'sure she'd be proud. What's her name?'

'Maria.' He said it in a near whisper.

'So pretty.'

He nodded and inhaled slowly. 'Anyway,' he brought his famous smile back to the surface. 'what's up?'

'Well,' Allegra started, but found that she didn't quite know the words to say it. 'I don't really know how to say this. But I was seeing someone as well, and I didn't tell you, and I feel quite guilty about it now…' She paused again.

'Don't feel guilty,' Viggo assured her. 'so long as it isn't Mac.' He added.

'It wasn't Mac,' Allegra couldn't help but smirk. Viggo smiled back at her. 'it was, erm, it was Psymon.'

Viggo almost choked on his words there. '_Psymon_?' He repeated.

She nodded, suddenly ashamed of herself. 'Yeah.'

'Sorry, carry on.' Viggo told her politely, although his expression was still made of nothing but shock.

'I was seeing him for near two years,' Allegra informed him quietly. 'and, well, it's ended now. But I had to tell you. I felt so bad for not telling you.'

Viggo nodded but didn't reply. He was still trying to process all that information. It was shocking. He struggled to imagine what the two would ever have in common! He knew Allegra wasn't exactly a good girl, but she was just a bit outspoken and didn't like rules. Whereas Psymon? He was just insane!

'I understand you not telling me,' Viggo said eventually. 'I'd probably have got the first flight out to the circuit and tried to talk you round.' He smirked, although his blue eyes told Allegra that he was deadly serious about that. 'Why did it end?'

This was the tough bit. 'It got too much,' She admitted. 'we had feelings for each other that I don't think either of us understood properly. And we just collapsed under it.'

Before Viggo had the chance to say anything else, both of their attention was suddenly snapped up by something they heard on the radio that had been chattering away in the background until this moment.

'And you're back with Radio Big,' The unmistakable voice of DJ Atomika slid onto the airwaves.

'Who turned this over?' Viggo asked. Allegra shrugged and they both resumed listening.

'My guest today,' Atomika continued. 'is ex-SSX boarder, Zoe Payne!' Both Viggo and Allegra felt a sudden surge of warmth on hearing her name. For a moment Viggo forget the arguments and small rivalry he shared with Zoe, and simply missed her as a part of the whole experience.

'Hey, Atomika!' Zoe sounded just like she always did, she was always so full of life.

'So, Zoe, what have you been doing since our little SSX family broke up?'

'Oh, this and that. Done some dirt biking, bit of rallying, that sort of thing… bit of motor-bike racing.' She added the last one like it was some sort of inside joke, but evidently Atomika didn't get it, as he didn't comment upon it. '_But_, I want to go back to my roots.' She continued.

'Oh?' Atomika asked mono-syllable.

'Yeah,' Zoe replied. 'I want to start the old circuit. I want everyone back. I'm just gonna go out and make this appeal right now, that if any of the old SSX competitors are listening – you know you loved snow-boarding better that whatever you're doing now. Just wanted to put that out there. Just letting everyone know that Snowboard Super Cross isn't dead just yet.'

And the radio frequency must have slipped, as Zoe's voice turned into static.

'As if she's really doing this.' Allegra muttered, suddenly forgetting she wasn't alone.

'I know, right?'

She snapped back into reality. 'Might tell I'll do it, you know.'

'Really?'

'Why not? I've got nothing better to do. You should do it, too.'

Viggo laughed. 'Not a chance. I said goodbye to that once, I'm not going to go back on my word.'

'But you only stayed there for one season! You never got past rookie status. Even Griff stayed longer than you did.'

'Allie, I'm twenty-six, I have to find myself something permanent to do. I've got a job teaching at my parents' ski academy, and I'm happy doing it.' He told his best friend firmly.

'Okay,' Allegra sighed. 'just thought it would be nice for us to be back on the course together.'

'It would, Allie, it really would. But it's not going to happen. You know you're welcome to come stay at my parents' lodge whenever you like.'

'I know,' She smiled at him. 'and thanks.'

'So, you're really going to ask her?'

'I don't know,' She sighed. 'I'll think it over. Guess if it's going to happen then it will.'

'Alright,' Viggo nodded. 'let me know so I can come watch you, though, yeah?'

'Obviously,' Allegra grinned back.

Meanwhile, back over in the US, Zoe was already taking phone calls from ex-competitors. She didn't realise exactly how many people were going to put their names forward, but they were all the people she didn't want to call her. Her phone rang again.

'Zoe Payne,' She answered with a sigh.

'Hey Zoe, it's Skie!'

'I'm sorry?'

'Skie… Skie Simms? I was on the course last time it was open?'

'Oh,' Zoe remembered her vaguely. 'yeah, sorry, Skie. I've been busy, I'm not thinking straight.'

'No problem,' Skie said happily. 'I heard your interview on the radio, and I just wanted to let you know that you can add my name to the list. I mean, how's this working? Can we just sign up or is it 'don't call us, we'll call you' kind of situation?'

'Er,' Zoe stared at the other names on her list. 'you'll get a call if you're in.' She told her.

'Oh, okay,' She sounded suddenly disheartened, but tried to stay bright nonetheless. 'sure. Well, it was nice talking to you, Zoe.'

'Yeah. Bye.' And she hung up. She was sick of rookies who competed on one circuit and thought they were worth her time to bring back to the new one! She wanted someone she actually respected to call. Even if it was Elise.

Her phone started ringing once more.

'If you've only done one circuit, you may as well hang up.' She answered.

'Oooo, sorry, Zoe.' Mac Fraser's cool voice told her.

'Mac! Thank God. I was starting to think I might as well start up a rookie circuit!' Zoe couldn't stop herself grinning.

'Had a lot of calls then?' Mac's laugh was more than audible.

'You could say that,' Zoe sighed. 'but who wants Skie Simms and the like on the course?'

'Damn straight!' Mac echoed her view. 'Speaking of rookies, has Viggo called?'

'Nah,' Zoe told him. 'I might have actually considered letting him in, you know.'

'What? No, Zoe!' But she could tell he was kidding. He hadn't called anyway, so it was irrelevant.

'You're in then, right Mac?' Zoe said, writing his name down before he'd answered, she was that confident he would be in.

'Sure thing,' Mac answered casually. 'and if you want a bit of help, I know where to look. Just saying.'

'Oh, really? What makes you think I need help?'

Mac laughed for a moment. 'You need the best of the best, Zoe, not just the old dogs from the game. You need the fresh talent, too.'

'Rookies?' Zoe nearly spat out. 'Find me one who's not self-obsessed, over-confident and skipping class to be here.'

'Not talking about Grommet there, are we?' Mac smirked, though Zoe couldn't see it, she could sense it. 'You called _him_ about this? You know how he gets when he's not included.'

'Nah,' Zoe shrugged. 'I didn't like him. I don't want him back.'

'Well, that's fair, I suppose. I hated sharing a room with him when he was a kid. Mind you, I hated sharing with Viggo as well.'

'Yeah, but Viggo was a good kid. Griff seems messed up now.'

'Call him anyway, he'll probably say no.' Mac tried to convince her. He knew that Griff would find out eventually, and it would be better for everyone if that didn't happen. He was a deceptive kid, but now he had the potential to be a very powerful enemy.

A/N: Not really sure where I'm going with this. If there's characters who aren't on the game that you think would make a good asset to this then please say so in reviews, and I'll think on it (because I'm not entirely happy with the actual in-game characters of SSX 2012, either.) updates might be slow, but I haven't forgotten:)


	2. The Enemy Agrees

Griff Simmons sat in his sponsor's office. His parents had forced him into this meeting, and he desperately didn't want to be there. He was happy just doing his own thing. He taught snowboarding for a while at the ski centre in his town, and that was good. People knew who he was, and they paid more to meet him than the actual lesson, but that was fine by him. He enjoyed people knowing his name, and he enjoyed the girls that seemed to follow around famous folk. He did not want to beg and plead with the leaders of the new Team SSX. What had they ever done for him? Nothing. They mocked him for being so talented at such a young age, and everything he achieved seemed to be meaningless to them. Mac and Zoe were the worst. They considered themselves to be so much above Griff, and so much better that him, so why should he be the one going grovelling to them to be a part of their pathetic little team?

'Ah, Griffin,' Mr Peters, the director of the firm that had previously sponsored Griff's career. Griff simply nodded in acknowledgement of him, and declined his offer of a handshake. 'well, let's get straight to business, shall we?' Griff shrugged, he genuinely cared about nothing less than this.

Mr Peters nervously tugged at the bottom of his suit jacket, then placed his hands on the desk in front of him. He cleared his throat. 'I've spoken to Zoe Payne this morning and-'

'I don't want to,' Griff interrupted him. 'I have no interest in going back to that.'

Mr Peters tried to give him an understanding smile. 'Right. However, the money will be substantially better than what you're earning at the ski centre…'

'I don't care.' Griff answered sulkily, folding his arms across his chest. 'Zoe can take the money and-'

He cleared his throat once more and Griff stopped talking, and simply rolled his eyes.

'Your parents are relying on you, Griffin,' Mr Peters told him seriously. 'do this one last thing and you can go back to doing whatever it is you want to do.' Griff stared at him, waiting for more to convince him. Mr Peters loosened his collar. 'And… I'm sure the team have matured a lot since you worked with them last, and you're older, too… It'll be a nice re-union for you.'

Griff snorted in disbelief. 'Nice reunion?' He repeated with a laugh. 'Yeah, okay, whatever you say.'

'It would be very beneficial for you to take this, Griffin. They're branching out, going all over the world. It would be a really life changing experience.'

Griff raised his eyebrows. 'Life changing? I don't _want_ to change my life.'

'Griffin-'

'Fine! Alright, I'll do it. But I'm not promising I'll get on with them. If they apologise then maybe it'll be okay, but if they don't, then whatever I do to them is not my fault.'

Zoe hung up the phone after a short conversation with Griff Simmons' sponsor. She stared across the coffee table at Mac. He gave her an awkward shrug, he didn't actually expect Griff to agree! They'd gone to Mac's New York apartment because the next day Tane was getting off a plane from Fiji, after Zoe had convinced him to pack up surfing and join the SSX legion. He seemed like a decent guy.

'What do we do?' Zoe asked him, after all, it was his fault they were in this mess now.

'We just have to let him, yo,' Mac replied quietly. 'not sure there's anything else we _can_ do.'

Zoe sighed and rolled her eyes. 'Great. So that's going to limit the people who actually will want to sign up in the first place! Now we've got Grommet with us, I can think of about a dozen people already who'd instantly be put off by that.'

'Kaori will do it.' Mac added with a small grin. Zoe raised one eyebrow at him.

'Obviously.'

'How so?'

'You're doing it, ergo, so is Kaori.'

Mac smiled awkwardly. 'No, we're just friends, Zo. You know it ended when she started seeing Sid.'

Zoe smirked. 'Whatever, Mac. She still loves you.'

'If you say so,' Mac sighed. 'either way, she's game.' He paused and observed Zoe's expression. 'For the _team_. Not for me.' Zoe grinned at him and simply nodded, though she believed none of it.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the mountains of Montana, Moby Jones took the last bag out of his apartment. His and Zoe's apartment. Well, it used to be. She moved out a few weeks previously, when she said she wanted to restart SSX. He'd disagreed, they had a fight, and she left. She emptied her wardrobe, took her favourite board and a photo album she'd kept since the original SSX tour. And that was it. The last time he'd seen her. He'd called, he'd texted, he'd emailed… and nothing. She'd gone completely off the grid. But who was he supposed to call to check on her? They lived above Rob and Bob's board shop on the old SSX course, who was she going to find for miles besides the Lodge owners? Precisely. He'd thought about calling some of the old competitors, the ones she'd be likely to contact about re-joining the team, but he didn't have any of their numbers. Not one single person. Well, that was a lie, he had Nate and Elise's home number, but of all the places Zoe would have gone, Elise's place was the last place she'd go. It was pointless even trying there.

He did wonder about Psymon, though. There'd always been something between them, before he started seeing Allegra Sauvagess. It bothered him, and it always had. That sole factor had been the route of so many fights between Moby and Zoe while they were seeing each other. She and Psymon were obviously in love, even if neither of them would admit it, but then this one time, Psymon had told her how he felt. And she'd completely freaked out, gone crazy, practically had a break down. She felt exactly the same way, but one mention of the word love and she went into melt down. And he'd moved on, just found someone else. Zoe insisted that she wanted to move on as well, that she didn't have any feelings for Psymon besides friendship, but Moby didn't believe her. You can't just erase those sort of emotions, though she insisted that she had. But, he wasn't going to stop her when she forced herself on him. He'd liked her since the first moment he met her, so many years ago, and he was finally getting everything he wanted when he got her. He just wished he had _all_ of her, and that there wasn't a piece of her heart that would always belong to Psymon Stark.

Moby shut the apartment door and locked it. He locked everything that had happened there away. It would stay in there. The best kept secret. He dropped the key off on the desk at the board shop, and left, to go in search of something, _anything_, out there in the big, wide world.

Across the other side of the world, Psymon Stark stepped out of the rehabilitation clinic in Moscow. He didn't feel "fresh" or "renewed" like they said he would. But then again, people always lie. He knew that. Allegra lied. She said- _No_. He was not going to take himself back there again. It hurt, and he hated it. It felt all too real to relive it again, even if it was only in his mind. There were scary things in Psymon's mind, and adding a painful memory to them could only spell going back to that hell hole he'd spent years trying to escape from. He was not crazy. He did not belong in that asylum. It had been nearly ten years since he got out of there, but the scars it left in his brain had anything but been erased. There was some sights it was impossible to scrape off the back of your eyelids. He zipped his thick jacket up and started walking. Where? He had no idea. The airport, hopefully. Getting a last minute flight back to the US seemed like the only option, and then from there, he could get a transfer up to Toronto and go home. Wherever that was. He'd decide when he got there.

His phone buzzed in his jacket pocket. He checked the screen before he opened the message; _1 New Message from: Zoe Payne._ He swallowed. Zoe… Now that was a memory and a half. What could she possibly want? He ignored it. She was probably inviting him to her and Moby's wedding or something, and if there was one thing he would rather kill himself than do – it was to attend that god awful ceremony. Zoe wasn't supposed to be conventional, they were meant to have things in common. Or at least he thought they were.

As he sat in a cab to the airport, he noticed a billboard advertisement for a dirt biking course. He loved dirt biking. But, a certain Miss Payne had an interest for that sport, and that had put his straight off it. He couldn't afford another drop over the edge of sanity, he'd only just managed to officially climb back over that edge. One little push from a vivid memory and he could just as easily loose his grip on it. There was street biking scene back home, and he instantly set his mind on that. A sport where you had to be totally crazy to take part. Perfect.

Elise opened the email on her laptop, hoping that her face didn't spark any interest from Nate as he sat on the sofa opposite her. He'd disagree. He wouldn't let her go. But she had to tell him – she couldn't just disappear.

'Anything interesting?' Nate asked her casually, briefly taking his eyes away from the TV screen. Elise shrugged and shook her head. Their kids had gone to bed now, and were probably asleep. He'd tell her to think of the kids.

'Sure? Because I got an email the other day from Zoe Payne…'

Elise smiled at him, but she could feel herself getting nervous about the topic. 'Oh?'

Nate nodded. 'Yeah. I said no though – obviously.' He chuckled slightly, as if it would be absurd to suggest that he could ever go back to SSX.

'Yeah… obviously.'

'You said yes, didn't you?' Nate shot back, suddenly his eyes turning dark. Elise nodded, almost ashamed of what she did. 'How could you?' Nate snapped.

'I love snowboarding, Nate, I have to go back.' She told him honestly.

'So do I! And that's why we started the school, or had you forgotten? We did it because we loved snowboarding, but we wanted a family, and we found a way to have both. And now what? You're going to go on this… this _death trap_ with Zoe Payne? A woman you've hated since the very first time you met!'

'Nate, enough!' Elise stood up, trying not to raise her voice, so she didn't wake up the kids upstairs. 'If that's what I want to do, then I don't see a problem.'

'You don't see a problem?' Nate spat back. 'What about that our kids need their mother around? You can't just disappear for six months!'

'I'll tell them where I'm going! I'm not planning to just drop off the radar!'

'You might as well,' Nate said quietly, glaring at her through his nearly black eyes. 'and with these _Deadly Descents_ that Zoe's suggesting – you might just do exactly that.' He threw down the paper he'd been holding, but not reading, and stormed upstairs. She heard the bedroom door slam shut. He'd forgive her. He didn't have a choice. She was going, and that was the end of the story. No ifs, ands, or buts. Elise would be a part of Team SSX.


End file.
